Spoils of War
by Padaloki
Summary: In return for quelling Laufey's rebellion, Odin gives Thor Laufey's youngest son as a slave. Captured and alone, Loki waits in fear of what he will suffer at Thor's hands. However, Thor turns out to be much kinder than Loki expected him to be. One-shot. Slightly AU.


_Warning: Contains non-graphic and very vague allusions to rape (hence the rating). And lots of feels._

_Also, a couple things you should know - Loki is probably about fifteen in Midgardian years in this story, and has lived in Jotunheim his entire life, so he and Thor have not met before. _

**_Update: booknerd95 has published a version of this story written from Loki's POV. It is incredible, and I would recommend reading it._**

* * *

The feasting hall echoed with joy and laughter as Thor strode to the head of the table, clean from the sweat and filth of battle and ready to join in the triumph of victory. Laufey's rebellion against Asgard had met its end today, the golden Asgardian army driving the Jotuns back to their planet and forcing them into a humiliating surrender. The humbling of the Jotuns gave no little satisfaction to Thor as he took his place next to Odin at the head of the great table. Tonight, they had won a great victory.

Tonight, they would celebrate.

"Well done, my son," Odin said warmly as Thor sat down beside him. His aged hand found Thor's shoulder. "You have brought honor to our kingdom this day."

"Thank you, father," Thor replied, inclining his head. Hunger twinged in his stomach, and he glanced around, wondering whether the servants would bring food anytime soon. Battle was hungry work.

"Thor!" Frigga cried with delight, running to embrace her son as soon as she entered the hall. "I am so proud of you!" She wrapped her arms around Thor's broad shoulders. "Were you injured at all?"

Thor laughed. "No, Mother, of course not. I fought like a true Asgardian, with no heed for caution." Frigga smiled, her eyes twinkling, then took her place on the other side of Odin. Thor cast his thoughts back over the events of the day. The battle had proceeded exceedingy well; there were very few Asgardian casualties, the Jotuns having all but given up when Thor subdued the commander of their army. He thought with some pride of the cunning manner in which he had overcome the formidable Jotun.

"Congratulations, Thor."

The thunder god was jerked from his reverie. "Thank you, Sif."

"What of the spoils will you claim? I know there are many swords I might fancy, even if they are a little long."

"I do not know. I have not thought much on the matter."

"Well, you need to make up your mind, because the spoils and prisoners will be displayed soon, before the feast."

"I heard that they have one of Laufey's sons among the prisoners," Fandral added, halting briefly beside Sif. "They say he is quite small for a Jotun."

Thor raised an eyebrow. "We shall see."

Before Sif or Fandral could say anything, the great doors swung open to reveal the anticipated procession. The hall quieted, everyone hurriedly returning to their seats, as ten Asgardian soldiers marched in, followed by several carts of weapons and jewels. Many in the hall whispered and murmured appreciatively at the sight of the treasures. Odin stood as the ten soldiers bowed before him.

"Odin Allfather, we present you with the best of Jotunheim."

Odin nodded, motioning for the procession to continue. After the jewels and weaponry came heaps of furs and thick, leather-bound books. These drew less attention than the weapons, but some of the women eyed the rich furs with interest. Then came the prisoners.

There must have been at least a hundred, walking in a long column and flanked by heavily armored soldiers, their scarlet eyes glaring with burning hatred at the thronged hall. The rippling whispers turned angry at the sight of the Jotuns; a few hissed insults cut through the air. Thor didn't particularly relish this part of the celebration; it was enough, he thought, to conquer the Frost Giants without also subjecting them to such scorn and humiliation. Besides, many of the prisoners were not even soldiers; Thor spotted some women among the group, and a few that might have been children.

The faint clink of chains interrupted the tense murmurs, and all turned to see a young Jotun, small and trembling, standing just inside the doorway, another ten guards behind him - the captured son of Laufey. He couldn't have been more than half Thor's age; his head would barely reach the thunder god's shoulders. The prince's eyes were wide with defiant terror as he tried to bear himself with the pride of royalty while wearing thick shackles around his wrists and ankles. One of the guards nudged the tip of his spear into the boy's back, and he started forward, tensed like an animal ready to flee. Thor's stomach twisted with pity as the captured prince was made to walk through the hostile and gloating ranks of Asgardians.

The soldiers forced the prince to his knees before Odin, who regarded him coolly. "Let it be known," Odin said, his voice ringing through the hall, "that Laufey is defeated!"

The Asgardians erupted in cheers and applause, reveling in the hot triumph of victory. Thor smiled, but his eyes did not leave the kneeling Jotun, who bowed his head in shame, dark blue hands clenching tightly into the fur garment covering his body.

As the cries of joy slowly quieted, Odin rose from his seat and descended from the royal table, approaching the chained prince. "Loki Laufeyson, you are now a slave of Asgard, just as your people are subject to our realm. You will bear the form of the Aesir-" The hall watched in wonder as Odin placed his hand upon Loki's forehead, causing the prince to squirm uncomfortably as a pale Aesir hue spread down his body. "And you will serve Asgard for the remainder of your days. I now give you into the possession of my son Thor, that you may serve him with your body and mind. You will remain his slave as a reminder to your people that they cannot defy Asgard."

Thor swallowed. He hadn't asked for this; but his father obviously saw it fitting, so he said nothing as Loki was pulled none too gently to his feet and led, barely resisting, from the hall. Another cheer erupted as Odin resumed his place, and it was not long before the host of servants appeared with the awaited feast.

* * *

The revelry lasted long into the night, and it was already early into the morning of the new day when Thor finally returned to his bedchamber. His mind was foggy both from the moderate amount of mead he'd consumed and his exhaustion from the day of battle.

The warm light of a crackling fire greeted Thor when he entered his bedroom. He closed the door softly behind him, sighing, and began to pull off his armor. When he was clad in nothing but his undershirt and trousers, he strode over to the fire and pushed some of the logs closer together; the flames flared and warmed, and he stared into the them for a few moments before a soft clink of metal alerted him that he was not alone.

He turned to see Loki sitting on the foot of his bed, regarding him with wide and terrified green eyes. He was huddled against one of the bedposts, completely naked except for the chains still encircling his hands and feet, legs drawn tightly against his chest to maintain his last shred of dignity. Thor felt pity welling inside him at the sight; he knew perfectly well why Loki's clothes had been taken and what the shivering young Jotun now expected him to do.

"I apologize; I did not see you," Thor said softly, slowly approaching the frightened boy. Loki swallowed as Thor neared him, arms hugging his knees. Thor sat down on the bed and produced a large black key from the pocket of his trousers. "Let me take these off of you," he said kindly, gently taking Loki's right foot in his hand and unlocking the heavy metal cuff. It fell away to reveal bruised and chafed skin. Thor frowned at the sight, taking more care as he released Loki's other ankle. Loki bit his lip as Thor took his his trembling hands in turn and unlocked the shackles, which were much tighter than the ones around his ankles and left even worse bruising behind. Thor gently ran his fingers along the thin wrists, trying to rekindle the suppressed bloodflow. "Is that better?" he asked.

Loki nodded jerkily, still too afraid to speak. Thor gave him an encouraging smile before rising and rummaging in his drawers, returning with a long, silken nightshirt. He held it out to Loki, whose nervous eyes stared at it for a moment before regarding Thor with confusion. "Put it on. You must be cold," Thor said, noting the goosebumps on the pale skin. Loki's eyes widened before he snatched the garment from Thor's outstretched hand, hastily pulling it over his shoulders. The shirt came almost to the knees of the young Jotun, who seemed relieved at being clothed but still regarded Thor with an uncertain fear.

"Do you want to come sit by the fire?" Thor asked, kneeling down a few feet away from the flickering flames. "It is quite warm."

Loki debated for a moment, staring at the fire with obvious longing. After a few seconds, he slid from the bed and warily approached the fireplace. He slowly lowered himself onto the fur rug, sitting several feet from Thor, and extended his trembling hands greedily towards the flames, closing his eyes for a moment at the pleasant warmth.

Thor waited for several silent minutes as Loki relaxed by degrees, still glancing apprehensively at the thunder god. The black nightshirt hung from Loki's small frame like a drooping flag; even for a youth, Loki was extremely scrawny.

"Are you warm enough?" Thor asked softly. Loki flinched at the unexpected question.

"Y-Yes," he managed in a small voice, though Thor could see that he was still shivering.

"Come here," Thor said kindly, opening his arms. Loki eyed him fearfully, not moving. "I promise, I will not hurt you." Loki was still for several moments before slowly unbending his legs and crawling over to Thor, who wrapped his arm around his bony shoulders, holding him close to his own body. Loki tensed, rigid with fear, but Thor ran a soothing hand across his back, and soon the boy curled into his embrace, seeking warmth. He was still trembling, though; and Thor realized it was not from cold. "Loki?" he asked, gently stroking the raven hair. "Are you all right?"

Loki drew in a shuddering breath, screwing his eyes shut and pressing his face into Thor's chest. Thor's gut wrenched with pity as the prince tried to hold back his tears. "You may cry if you want to," Thor said softly. "You are safe here." The words seemed to push Loki over the edge; he whimpered and then burst into tears, sobbing into Thor's shirt. The thunder god continued to rub his back, murmuring softly as Loki cried. "It's all right, Loki. I will not hurt you. You are safe."

Thor knew that he was probably the first person to show the captive prince any sympathy; from what he heard, Laufey had delivered up his youngest son easily when commanded to surrender one as a hostage. And Loki had certainly met no pity from anyone in the conquering army; being paraded before the victory feast was probably only one of many humiliations he'd had to endure. Thor was determined to treat the young prince with kindness; the boy bore no fault for Laufey's rebellion, though he was now forced to bear the brunt of the defeat.

It pained Thor, too, to think of the agonizing hours Loki must have spent waiting in his chamber, naked and afraid, sure that Thor would not hesitate to exercise his full rights as master of his new slave and physically claim him as his own. Thor knew that that had been Odin's intention, as well; Loki was to be the symbol of Jotunheim's defeat, to be conquered by Thor just as the ice planet had fallen to Asgard. Loki must have been huddled on the foot of the bed for hours, shivering and too terrified to move, dreading Thor's return. But Thor did not intend to do what Loki feared. It was cruel and barbaric and wrong, and even if Thor had felt that sort of attraction to Loki, he would still shrink from the idea of causing such horrible pain, especially to someone so small and vulnerable.

The young Jotun was still crying, though his sobs had subsided somewhat and he had fully relaxed in Thor's arms, either sure now that Thor would not hurt him or too drained to care. Thor took one of the pokers and was about to readjust the logs in the fireplace when Loki suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse and shaking.

"W-Why are you d-doing this? I thought you were g-going to..." the boy shuddered. "My father s-said..."

"I know what you thought," Thor said quietly. "And I promise that you need not fear that from me. I will not take from you what you do not willingly give."

Loki closed his eyes. "Then w-what are you going to do w-with me?"

"Feed you," Thor said, smiling. "I am sure you are hungry. Then you will sleep."

The pale forehead creased. "So you are not... You are n-not going to..."

"No," Thor said firmly. "Your body will remain your own."

"But the king s-said that I am your slave."

"I know, and I am sorry. You are far too young to endure all this. But I promise you, I will treat you as the prince you are. You have done nothing to deserve slavery."

Loki sniffled, his eyes finally rising to meet Thor's. "Laufey says that the Aesir always-" he swallowed- "bed their captives."

Thor's face darkened. "There are some that do."

Loki stared into the fire for several moments before speaking again. "Thor?"

"Yes?"

"Do you hate me?"

Thor was taken aback. "No, Loki, of course not. Why would I?"

"The Aesir hate the Jotuns," Loki said nervously. "Many of your soldiers died when my father rebelled."

"None of which was your fault." Thor gently turned Loki's face towards him. "You need fear no retribution from me. Do you understand?" Loki nodded. "See? Everything is not so bad as it seems. Asgard will feel like home before you know it."

"Will I ever see Jotunheim again?"

"If Father permits it, then I will take you," Thor replied.

"Does King Odin hate me?"

"I..." Thor realized with a twinge of discomfort that he did not know the answer. "I do not know, Loki. I do not think so. I know he spoke harshly to you today, but that is because he was expected to. My father is a kind man, though he may not always seem so."

Loki's fingers played nervously with the hem of Thor's shirt. "Will he be angry if you do not- do not bed me?"

"I do not think so."

"What about all the other Asgardians?"

"What do you mean?"

Loki swallowed. "Do they want to kill me?"

"Some do, undoubtedly," Thor said heavily. "But there is more compassion among my people than you might think. You may not have been able to see it, but many in the hall today pitied you."

"I don't want pity, I want-" Loki's voice trembled. He pressed his face into Thor's chest. "I want to go home."

"I know," Thor said sadly, running a soothing hand through Loki's inky hair. "I know. I am sorry. I wish none of this had happened, but such wishes are futile. We must take what we are given."

"I miss my room, and my books, and..." Loki exhaled shakily. "I don't like Asgard."

"Well, Asgard is not so bad. Tomorrow I will show you the palace and the gardens and the training fields, and perhaps we can ride through the city. Would you like to see the Bifrost?"

Loki's eyes widened. "The Bifrost?"

"It is only a short distance from the palace. I will take you there tomorrow. There is a long bridge of swirling colors over the sea that connects it to the city. You can see all of Yggdrasil when you stand upon it."

"All of Yggdrasil..." Loki whispered. "We will go there? Tomorrow?"

"If you want to."

"Yes!" Loki said quickly, excitement brightening his face.

Thor smiled. "I will show you our library, too. The kings of Asgard have amassed a collection of hundreds of thousands books and scrolls in the palace archives. I think you will find much that interests you."

"You have a library?" Loki's eyes glinted.

"It is the greatest in the Nine Realms."

"And... they will let me read the books?"

"Of course. The library is open to all who seek knowledge."

"I thought- I thought slaves would not be allowed-"

"Loki, I am not going to treat you as a slave, and I will ensure that no one else does either. You have a keen mind, and I would not see it dulled with disuse."

"I... thank you," Loki said fervently. He was about to speak again when his stomach growled rather loudly. Thor laughed as his face reddened.

"Forgive me. You must be famished, and I have given you nothing." Thor gently detached himself from Loki and rose to his feet. "I will send one of the servants down to the kitchens." He crossed the room, opening his door and calling for a servant to bring some of the remnants from the feast. He turned back to see Loki shivering again, hugging his knees and moving closer to the fireplace. "Why are you so cold?" Thor asked as he pulled a thick blanket down from a shelf and draped if over the prince's shoulders. Loki quickly wrapped the blanket around himself.

"This Aesir form is... different," he replied. "It doesn't keep me warm like my real body does."

"Does it feel strange? Being in the form of an Asgardian?"

"Not as strange as I thought it would." Loki ran his slender fingers across his cheek. "Just... thinner."

"Well, I suppose that is not so bad." Thor sat down next to Loki. "Have you ever seen another Jotun transformed into an Aesir?"

Loki shook his head. "My brothers told me it would be very painful."

"How many brothers do you have?"

"Six."

"Do they look like you? In your Jotun form?"

"I suppose. They're all bigger than I am. I'm the youngest, and Father always says I'm the runt. He says my mother was ashamed of me and that's why she died after I was born."

"That is... harsh," Thor said, frowning. Loki shrugged.

"My oldest brother is Helblindi. He's the one who will be king after Father. Then there are five more, and then me."

"Were you happy in Jotunheim?"

"Yes," Loki replied. "I mean... I think so. I don't know. I never really thought about living anywhere else, until..." he swallowed.

"Until your father sent you here," Thor said quietly.

Tears brimmed in Loki's eyes again; he looked away, wiping them away with his sleeve. "He said it had to be me," he whispered. "Father said he would- he would rather lose me than any of the others."

"I am sorry." Thor realized just what a terrible experience Loki must have gone through, from being labeled as least valuable by his father to being captured and tormented and then gifted as a slave to an Asgardian prince.

Loki sniffled. "I suppose he's right. I'm not big or strong like my brothers. I can only fight with knives and magic, and he says those are women's weapons."

"You can work magic?" Thor asked, surprised.

"I can," Loki said with a small hint of pride.

"Can I see?"

Loki hesitated, then nodded. Closing his eyes, he raised one of his hands, twisting the long fingers through the air. A cloud of silver mist appeared and solidified into the form of a tiny horse, which galloped around the room before disappearing into the air.

"That is very impressive," Thor said warmly, not missing the flush of happiness that crept into Loki's cheeks at the praise. "There are few mages in Asgard who could create such illusions at your age."

"I'm not that young," Loki said, but he looked pleased all the same. Thor wondered how often, if ever, Loki's family had complimented him on one of his spells.

A knock on the door announced the arrival of the servant bearing food, and Thor rose to answer it as Loki drew the blanket a little closer around himself, glancing nervously at the doorway.

"Anything else, my lord?" the servant asked as he handed Thor the tray.

"Nothing. Thank you." Thor closed the door and returned to Loki's side, setting down the tray before him. There was a large chunk of roast dear in the center, surrounded by vegetables and potatoes and even some of the puddings. Loki's eyes widened at the sight of the food, as though he'd never seen so much in his life. Thor smiled. "I'll wager you can't eat all of that."

Loki looked up at him, surprised. "This is all... for me?"

"Of course. I have already eaten."

Loki's gaze returned to the food; still regarding it with awe, he took the meat in his hands and nimbly tore off a bite with his teeth, delight spreading across his face. Thor wondered when he'd last had a proper meal.

Contrary to Thor's prediction, Loki managed to consume every last bit of food on the tray. The young Jotun sighed contentedly as he swallowed the last spoonful of pudding and pushed the tray away.

"I cannot imagine where you put all of that," Thor said, laughing.

Loki smiled - for the first time since he'd arrived, Thor realized. And it was a beautiful smile, shining with brightness and breaking Thor's heart again at the thought that this boy had suffered so cruelly over the past few days.

"It was very good, Thor," Loki said, licking his fingers. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Loki yawned, rubbing his eyes as they began to droop. He wrapped the blanket around himself and was about to curl up on the fur rug when Thor stopped him.

"You are not sleeping on the floor," Thor said firmly.

"Then where?" Loki asked, confused.

"In the bed, of course."

Loki's eyes widened. "In your bed? But- slaves do not sleep in their masters' beds, unless..."

"You are not my slave, Loki, no matter what Father may say," Thor said kindly. "If you really wish to remain on the floor, then I suppose it is your choice. But I think you will find the bed much more comfortable. And I have already promised that I will not touch you."

Loki glanced at Thor's very large bed. "If you don't mind, then..."

"Of course I do not mind." Thor helped Loki up from the floor. "Which side would you prefer?"

"I don't know..." Loki looked rather overwhelmed.

"This one, then." Thor pulled back the covers, and Loki, after hesitating, climbed onto the bed, marvelling at the smooth, rich sheets.

"Even Helblindi's bed wasn't this soft," he said, running his hands across the top blanket. Thor smiled as he extinguished the torches and then settled down onto the other side. Normally he removed his shirt when he slept, but, because he didn't want to unnecessarily frighten Loki, he remained fully clothed as he pulled the covers over his body.

"Thor?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you. For... for everything."

"You are welcome, Loki."

Only a few minutes passed before Loki's breathing even out to a slow, relaxed rhythm, the hint of a contented smile resting on his lips.


End file.
